Education

In today’s world, the best jobs and the most investment go to the places with the best-educated and highly skilled people. We are only 13 million people here in Ontario. So if we are to take on giants like China and India, we need to ensure we are 13 million strong and that every Ontarian is at his or her best. In a world where you can borrow capital, copy technology, and buy resources the only things that set you apart from the competition are the skills and education of your people.

That’s why we are committed to making our publicly funded education the very best in the world. Supporting educators, parents and students through major investments in the Ontario education system will help students succeed.

Smaller class sizes

In 2003–04, one quarter of all primary (junior kindergarten to Grade 3) classes had 25 or more students.

By 2008–09:

90.3 per cent of primary classes had 20 or fewer students.
100 per cent of primary classes had 23 or fewer students.

This year, we are providing funding for 5,100 new primary school teachers to maintain 90 per cent of primary classes with 20 or fewer students.

Higher test scores

Overall, 67 per cent of Ontario Grade 3 and 6 students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math. This is a 13 percentage point increase over 2002–03. That means over 40,000 additional Grade 3, 6 and 9 students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math, compared to six years ago.

As of 2009–10, we are funding more than 10,500 additional teaching positions:

5,100 new primary school teachers to help bring down class sizes
We’re providing funding for 126 additional elementary teachers to reduce class sizes in Grades 4 to 8.
3,150 elementary specialist teachers, helping to improve reading, writing and math skills — and boost student achievement in areas such as music, the arts and phys-ed.
1,910 more secondary school teachers to support student success and help more students graduate.
258 secondary school teachers to support expanded programs.

Student achievement officers from the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat are working with principals, teachers and board leaders in all 72 Ontario school boards to support K-6 student learning and achievement in reading, writing and math skills.

Elementary students are benefiting from more than one million new books in school libraries across the province. Every publicly funded elementary school in Ontario received funds to enhance their library collections.

We introduced the School Information Finder www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/sift which enhances openness and transparency by providing individual school profiles with information about student achievement, the student population and the school itself on one reliable, easy-to-access website.

More high school students graduating

Working with students, parents and educators, we’ve helped raise the high school graduation rate from 68 per cent in 2003–04 to 77 per cent in 2007–08. That means 36,000 more students have graduated than would have had the rate remained at the 2003-04 level.

To ensure students continue learning until at least age 18 or graduation, we have introduced new legislation, expanded co-op programs and created more ways to earn high school credits.

Other steps include:

Providing funding for a Student Success Teacher in every secondary school.
Introducing formal links between high schools, universities, colleges and the work world stressing the importance of reaching higher.
Expanding the Specialist High Skills Majors Program to over 430 schools.
Expanding the Pathways to Education Canada program in 2007–08 to give more students from at-risk neighbourhoods a fair shot at success. The program began in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood and has now expanded to Lawrence Heights and Rexdale in Toronto, as well as neighbourhoods in Kitchener and Ottawa.

Good, safe places to learn

As part of an ongoing investment in repairs, renovations and new school construction more than 13,000 renewal projects have been completed or are underway at our schools. Since 2003 more than 200 new schools have been built or are under construction with plans for an additional 100 schools underway. More than 3,500 schools have undergone safety audits.

In April 2009, we helped over 1,000 schools become more energy efficient, creating and sustaining over 5,500 jobs.

More ways we have made schools safer include:

The Keeping Our Kids Safe at School Act, passed in 2009, requires board employees to report serious student incidents, such as bullying, to the principal. It also requires that principals contact the parents of the victims.
Programs and supports for all expelled students and students serving long term suspensions and to address inappropriate behaviour.
Additional professional supports including psychologists, social workers, child and youth workers, and attendance counsellors.
Funding for select secondary schools in urban areas that face challenges such as poverty, criminal and gang activity, and a lack of community resources.
Resources, training or activities that help promote safe, equitable and inclusive schools.

Giving kids the best start in life

We have created more than 22,000 childcare spaces across Ontario since 2003.

Ontario will start phasing in full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds next fall as part of the province’s plan to build a well-educated workforce. Up to 35,000 kindergarten students across Ontario will be enrolled in full-day learning in September 2010. The goal is to have the program for four- and five-years-olds fully implemented in all schools by 2015-16.

We are expanding Ontario’s Parenting and Family Literacy Centre Program. For the 2009–10 school year, we will support 123 centres in schools across Ontario, including 34 new centres. Parent workers, who staff the centres, work closely with kindergarten teachers to provide a quality learning environment that prepares young children for school. The centres are free to attend and no pre-registration is required.

Reaching higher

Reaching Higher — a plan to improve accessibility, affordability and quality when it comes to universities and colleges in Ontario — was launched in 2005.

Under the plan, we have 100,000 more students attending our colleges and universities — a 25 per cent increase from 2002–03.

About 172,000 Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) recipients benefitted in 2008–09 from OSAP improvements that have been introduced since 2004–05. These include new grants, increased weekly loan limits, updated book costs and allowances for computers.

We expanded Access Grants by doubling the family income eligibility level to about $80,000 to help about 53,000 students with their tuition in 2008–09.

We capped tuition increases — after we froze tuition for two years — at an average of five per cent annually.

We will create more than 15,000 new graduate spaces by 2011–12.

Together, Canada and Ontario have announced 49 projects to modernize facilities and boost the province’s long-term research skills training capacity.

We invested $3 million in bursary support over three years to help first generation students overcome financial barriers to participating in postsecondary education. About 800 students benefited in 2008–09.

Starting in 2008, eligible students who went away to school received a $300 annual grant to help them return home for visits with family. Students who live at home and commute regularly back and forth received $500 each semester. To be eligible for these grants, a student must live in a rural or northern community more than 80 kilometres away from a college or university, and qualify for OSAP.

Continue to the Economy section of the report or, download the 2009 Progress Report (PDF).